Los Angeles Kings v Philadelphia Flyers (Wells Fargo Center)
Time: 4.00 PM
TV: Fox Sports West
Kings projected lineup:
Pearson – Carter – Toffoli
King – Richards – Brown
Clifford – Stoll – Williams
Andreoff – Nolan
Doughty – Muzzin
Regehr – Martinez
McNabb – Greene
Quick
Injured: Gaborik (??), Lewis (“upper-middle body”), Kopitar (upper body); Suspended: Voynov
Flyers projected lineup:
Raffl – Giroux – Voracek
B Schenn – Bellemare – Simmonds
Umberger – Couturier – Read
Rinaldo – VandeVelde – Akeson
B Schenn – Bellemare – Simmonds
Umberger – Couturier – Read
Rinaldo – VandeVelde – Akeson
Grossmann – Streit
Del Zotto – Schultz
Gostisbehere – L Schenn
Emery
Injured: Coburn (lower body), Timonen (blood clots), White (chest), Lecavalier (lower body), Pronger (seriously I can’t even remember anymore)
Enemy reading: Broad Street Hockey
Game notes:
- Although Anze Kopitar’s injury, sustained during Sunday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, is apparently quite a minor one which shouldn’t keep him out for long, he will definitely not be playing tonight. Remember when I booed Tanner Pearson while he was being drafted and now he’s on the first line? This is a very confusing time for me, is what I am saying.
- Apparently I lied in the last preview and Trevor Lewis is skating and fairly near to a return. If, however, Anze Kopitar misses more than one game, the team will be eligible for an emergency call-up (it otherwise has no cap room – the team has to play at least one game missing a skater), in which case it looks like Jordan Weal will also be joining the Kings.
- The Flyers have struggled out of the gate, obviously missing their two most competent defencemen (I think? it’s been a while since I’ve paid attention to the Flyers), Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn, while losing a lot of games 5-4 and 4-3. Coburn recently had a setback in his recovery from injury and Timonen’s blood clots are apparently very serious, so I’m sure you’ve heard a few of the millions of “Flyers need a defenceman” rumours floating around.
- The game is in less than half an hour and I still have so much doc review to do tonight so this is the end of the preview, sorry? Prediction: Mike Richards and Jeff Carter and Justin Williams all have hat tricks. Also John Stevens plays and has a hat trick. Claude Giroux defects mid-game and has a hat trick for the Kings. Also a literal dry island rises up from the Delaware river and there are people on it and they are all wearing Redneck Rebellion hats and snorting cocaine and drinking vodka from bottles shaped like Stanley Cups.